T.J. Hooker
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Image:TJHooker.jpgT.J. Hooker was a weekly police drama that premiered as a mid-season replacement in early 1982 on ABC-TV and ran on ABC primetime through summer 1985. The show starred William Shatner in the title role as the veteran police sergeant along with Heather Locklear as Officer Stacy Sheridan, Adrian Zmed as Officer Vince Romano, and Richard Herd as Captain Dennis Sheridan as personnel in the fictional "LCPD" academy precinct. In its second season (starting in autumn 1982), James Darren became a regular cast member, as Officer Jim Corrigan.
Hooker was canceled by ABC in the summer of 1985, but the series survived when CBS picked up the show and produced new episodes that were longer than the normal 60-minute fare and were shown later at night (part of the CBS "Crime Time After Prime-Time" showcase during the late 80's/early 90's). Original shows finally were cancelled in 1987. Starting in 2005, the A&E Network re-broadcast the entire Hooker series, running one episode per weekday, in the wee hours of the morning. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the first two seasons on U.S. DVD on August 9, 2005.
Although the show was briefly very popular with viewers, it was derided by critics and real-life police officers for its hackneyed, formulaic approach to drama and its cliched portrayal of law enforcement. Some of the weekly cases involved a relative or an old friend; the villians immediately announced their criminal nature from the moment they appeared on screen; and no opportunity to show some skin was missed (short-shorts or tight leotards on women, or Zmed bare-chested or wearing a tight T-shirt were frequent fare). The police team's adversaries included Latino street gangs, snipers, Bible-preaching psychos, stalkers (before the term was coined), medical bone-mallet toting cross-dressers, baby-faced arsonists, and vengeful ex-cops. There were no pretensions of high-quality drama in this series, as was typical with an Aaron Spelling-produced cop show.
Guest stars included Leonard Nimoy, Sharon Stone, and Tori Spelling.
Notable quotes
Hooker's ex-wife: "You'll do your best, and I know you already have, because you always do."
Hooker: "You're through in the barrio, Fuente. Julie and the kids, they WIN. YOU LOSE."
Gang member: "Come on man, we're just here to see Chuy, you know." Hooker: "Then go see him, before I bust you for contaminating the hospital!"
Hooker: "Well, I've got a nice, dark cell for you to sit in, while you think long and hard."
Hooker, disguised as Santa Claus, as he catches the crook: "Merry Christmas, punk!"
Mr. Huntman: "Sergeant back off! Do you know who this little party is for? The mayor. A little fundraiser for his re-election. Push me, you push him. Get the point?" Hooker: "If I have to, I'll push the both of you, to Hell and back. Count on it."
Lester: "Are you as good as you look?" Stacy, working undercover as a porn starlet: "Last I heard, I'm better."